Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion

Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 01/23/0809:31 PM

Hi! We are in the market (US - Midwest) for a 48" upright piano. We came across the Yamaha U1 which my wife loves. She is hooked on the brighter sound of it. I don't play piano but I thought the Kawai K3's sound is different but I like it just as much.

The store offers us the Yamaha U1 for $5800 + tax, Kawai K3 for $5000 + tax (both pianos come with delivery, a tuning at delivery and 6-9 mos later tuning).

I wonder if someone can comment on these prices whether they are high or low or jump on it at once .

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 01/27/0806:31 PM

After doing some research for a piano player (my wife), I find Kawai offers more and about $1000 less for the same model by Yamaha. As far as sound (I'm not a piano player but I had a few pricey speakers in the past ), I find Kawai has deep sounds vs. brighter sounds of Yamaha.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/01/0802:47 PM

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/01/0809:15 PM

Correction! I ended up paying $5890 for the U1 + tax. It comes with delivery and 2 tunings. I assumed it was still a great deal therefore I didn't question the salesperson who said $5800 previously or I just heard it wrong.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/24/0810:49 AM

Poisy: I'm living in Midwest and looking for Yamaha U1. The price you got is $2500 less the dealer gave me. Could you let me know your store's name and phone number if you don't mind? Thanks in advance.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/19/0807:05 PM

From my piano shopping experience, 6K is the price for U1.

If you have extra money, try to get YUS1 instead of U1. And if you have too much money, the YUS5 is the piano that you want to get. But I do not know yet the real price for this. YUS5 is amazing piano.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/20/0801:27 AM

Poisy, you got reasonable price. Most people who do not know had paid much more than you. Dealers need to make money, they have family to feed, but I just mind if they are charging U1 for $8K. They can do this because the MSRP is very high. For those who did not do any research will end up paying that much. It is their fault, but if there are too many ignorant people, the price will go up and dealers will not sell at reasonable price since there are many people who are willing to pay high price.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/20/0807:04 PM

Hi pianoca, I'm just joking about it. I'm happy when I get a good deal; therefore I feel the same for everyone who gets even better deal than mine. I just thought cost of living in California is high therefore pianos cost more. I am surprised.

Hi RonaldSteiway, Actually I had my own problem when I bought my U1. I came into the store near work, looking around at cheaper pianos than a U1 like Pearl River or Kawai K2. In passing I asked the price of a U1 and he quoted me at $58.. something. For awhile (about 2 weeks) we were looking at the K3 but then decided to go for the U1 at exact quote of $5890. The salesperson said he had no U1 except the floor model. We told him we would take it then he told me that he couldn't sell it to me anyway because I don't live in his Yamaha area. (somewhat confused and frustrated) We went to 2 other Yamaha stores to look for a U1 (I was priced at $6180 and $6400). Then we got a call from the original store to tell us that he got 3 U1's arrived that weekend and he would sell it at the quoted price $5890 + he got permission from my local Yamaha region to sell me a Yamaha U1. He offered me to stop by his warehouse and pick out the U1 we want (he explained that no U1 sounds exactly the same, pick out the one that sounded best to my ears).

Even though I'm happy with the deal + the owner took the time to make things right. But why making us traveled back and forth to other stores and confused in between.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/20/0807:53 PM

I only heard up to a U3 and it sounds way better than my U1. My wife decided to buy the U1 over a K3 and that was how to story went. I'd love to hear the sound of a YUS5 once to know what people are telling how great it sounds.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/21/0812:11 AM

California is closer to Japan. Pianos come from Japan in containers, and the container ships dock in California ports. To get to elsewhere in the country, additional ground transportation and warehousing would be needed. Well, at least that why I think Japanese pianos are cheaper in California.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/22/0812:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Axtremus: California is closer to Japan. [/b]

That made good sense about California is closer to Japan.

I just got a call from the place which offered $6400 for a U1 awhile back, but now they wanted to sell it at $5900. I asked them about selling a Yamaha outside of their region. The salesperson said he wasn't aware of this issue. Very interesting , but I thanked him that I already bought one almost 2 months back.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 05/23/0804:30 PM

I'm also trying to decide between the Kawai K3 and the Yamaha U1. I actually like the Kawai a little better, but the Yamaha is probably a better investment. I'm going back and forth between the to dealers right now, and the Yamaha dealer just came down to match the Kawai price!

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 01/29/1011:36 AM

Hi, I am looking for a piano as well. I would like to buy either Yamah U1 or KawaiK3. Would you tell me where you bought a piano. PHone number and store name?. I live in Little Rock, AR. Since this is small city all the yamah dealer has closed and kawai dealer is very pricy. So did you decide to buy a Kawi over Yamah?

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/06/1011:19 PM

I've been looking for a replacement for my 1938 Beckwith as I have been frustrated with its sound (its got a broken board and a couple keys stick). Following the lists I decided to check out the Kawai K3. Went up to the only shop around that sells it, tried it out with my daughter and I and it sounded good. The delivery price quoted was $7100. I bit more than I thought....if it was under $5K I would have bought it on the spot.

Needless to say, I didn't buy it. Maybe take a trip to portland to see what's up down there. I hate negotiating! Like stonecutter I hope that prices haven't gone up that much in a years time.Dennis

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/07/1002:13 PM

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/07/1002:50 PM

Just a couple of observations on this thread:

1. A dealer "quote" on a new U1 is usually given to those who come into the store and either observe posted pricing or those who are most casual in their approach and show no buying signs that they have settled on a particular model. When a shopper shows a serious desire to purchase now, often the raps come off and the real price discussion begins. That is how and when the lower pricing emerge. It often happens that the shopper does a causual drop by his local dealership, then gets down in the dirt at one miles and miles away. Hard to understand. I always recommend folks give their local dealer every opportunity to earn their business. That said, intractable dealers that stand on high prices and are not willing to bend a little only feed the competition.

2. There is no injunction from Yamaha about not selling out of a dealer's market area. They do strongly advise against quoting pricing over the phone. Once a shopper crosses the door threshold they are fair game to be sold. Many potential customers and some dealers are still confused about this issue.

3. Recounting "deals" gotten four years ago is not terribly relevant to shoppers today. In fact it only confuses them and sets unreasonable expectations on shoppers seeking a "good deal." In spite of the political incorrectness and market softness, wholesale pricing to dealers continues to rise.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/07/1010:56 PM

Poisy - that is an excellent price for a U1, especially in California. I personally prefer "demo" pianos because they've settled in more, probably had more tunings and prep work, and you get a discount for any tiny scratches or nicks. Congratulations on your new piano and you were right to let your wife pick out the piano that she'll play. I hope she loves her Yamaha as much as I love mine.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/08/1008:51 AM

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/08/1007:30 PM

I hate this whole negoitating thing. I called in advance to see if they had a K3 in stock. They said they did, so I said I would be in the next day. When I arrived I told them I was the one who called. My daughter and I tried it out. When we were done I told them I liked it and wanted the best price on it. When they gave me the price I said it was too high. They couldn't do anything for me. Any suggestions on how to get the price down to a good number? $7100 is just too much.

I don't think I would survive if I had to haggle everything I buy...Its not in my thought pattern.

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 02/08/1008:10 PM

Re: Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3 price suggestion - 03/30/1301:54 AM

I've been looking and trying out different pianos around ny/nj area for the past month and after long and intensive research, it all came down to Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3. I have to say that I was impressed at this 20 year old U1 I tried at a local piano store. The price was $3700 (incl tax/delivery, 1 tune up and 3 year warranty). But, I really want a brand new piano. In any case, a yamaha dealer is offering me a brand new U1 for $6400 (incl everything and 10 year warranty) and a kawai dealer quoted me $6200 all inclusive as well. At this point, I have made up my mind and I'm going for the U1 based on the sound and the responsiveness and knowing that in 20 years, it's still going to sound just as good...I'm excited! I did counter offer with the yamaha dealer ($6000 all inclusive if i pay cash)....unfortunately, she was only a sales rep and the manager was already gone for the night so I'll have to wait to find out. I sure hope I get the deal!